Yesterday I got to experience something brand new! We were able to take 46 children from Grace Village to a beautiful private beach and it was more amazing than words can describe. The pure joy the children had was wonderful to see. Some were apprehensive at first, but by the end of the day most of the children were all about being in the ocean. We were able to bring Dickenson and Davidson with us as well, and it was so much fun watching them interact with the children from Grace Village.
A couple stories to share from the day. The first boy I brought into the ocean was Meme. He was really nervous at first and didn't want to go too deep. He had a life jacket on so I tried to encourage him to let me just hold his hands. It took some encouraging, but after jumping up and down, and turning all around with him, he finally allowed me to hold him while he floated on his back. By the end of our time together he was swimming all by himself with no fear whatsoever.
Mayk and Mayko were extremely apprehensive as well. It took me almost half the day to get them in the water. First, I took Mayko in, and he did great once he made it clear he didn't want to go too deep. He saw Meme swimming without a problem and that seemed to be enough to give him the courage to swim on his own. Mayk was similar except when I walked into the water he didn't even want me to put his feet in the water and kept squeezing me tighter while lifting his legs up higher. Once I got to just above my knees he said, "No! Ale la" while pointing back towards shore. It means no, go there so we were all good since I knew what he was saying. There was commotion closer to shore and he wanted me to take him over to investigate. I could've done without since it was a water snake they found! Yikes! Shortly after that Meme, Mayk and Mayko were splashing around in the shallow water with the biggest smiles bouncing on floaties and shooting one another with a water gun and radiating the joy they were blessed to experience.
It was awesome to take it all in. We were extremely tired after a long day in the sun full of fun. More on today's adventures soon, but for now it's off to bed.
Blessings,
Alicia
Experiencing Haiti: Obeying God's call to go not knowing what he has in store for me, but knowing I will be forever changed.
Friday, August 16, 2013
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Teamwork
What a fantastic day! We made three water stops to 19, 26 and . There was a lot of desperation for water today, which meant a bit of a hectic bucket line. Our team worked together SO well and we were proud of the work we did. Throughout the day there were so many moments I wish I was able to capture on video to remember always, one in particular I'll share.
At the third stop of the day we really got into a rhythm and we were singing songs while filling buckets and were having a lot of fun. The people at this stop were working with us to get their buckets filled not against us like it sometimes felt at the previous stops and it was great. Towards the end of the tank, while I was on the bucket line, I looked across from me and between my teammate, Deb's legs were five or six little naked boys rolling, splashing, giggling and squeeling in water that had missed getting in the buckets. The look on their faces were of pure joy and we got to see them play and be kids with no care in the world for that short time. It was awesome!
After our water stops we came home and four of our teammates decided to go to the wound clinic to help and four of us decided to go play soccer with the neighborhood boys. This meant I got to see Dickenson, so I was in! Dickenson had gotten up early and joined us for church, so when he was falling asleep on me on the drive I asked him if he was tired from waking up early. He was, but he found enough energy to score two goals during our game, and with the help of his brother, Davidson, we won! After Dickenson scored he would make this high pitched holler of elation and run around with his arms raised high in celebration and a huge smile on his face. I loved being able to celebrate with him. On our way back home he told me the first goal he scored was for me. It was an awesome header and that was so sweet. Later on the ride he told me my boys can call him brother Dickenson, and that he loves me like a mother. My heart melted instantly. He had told me earlier that day that his parents both died in the earthquake, so for him to say he loves me like mother hit me hard. I will get to see him again this week, but I wish I could spend more time with this amazing boy. He is already sad about me leaving on Monday, and asks when I will be back. That is the hardest question to answer, because I know I will be back, but I don't know when.
Today we are taking the Grace Village kids to te ocean! It will be a brand knew experience for everyone on our team and I'm excited!
Ke Bondje Beni'ou
(May God Bless You)
Alicia
At the third stop of the day we really got into a rhythm and we were singing songs while filling buckets and were having a lot of fun. The people at this stop were working with us to get their buckets filled not against us like it sometimes felt at the previous stops and it was great. Towards the end of the tank, while I was on the bucket line, I looked across from me and between my teammate, Deb's legs were five or six little naked boys rolling, splashing, giggling and squeeling in water that had missed getting in the buckets. The look on their faces were of pure joy and we got to see them play and be kids with no care in the world for that short time. It was awesome!
After our water stops we came home and four of our teammates decided to go to the wound clinic to help and four of us decided to go play soccer with the neighborhood boys. This meant I got to see Dickenson, so I was in! Dickenson had gotten up early and joined us for church, so when he was falling asleep on me on the drive I asked him if he was tired from waking up early. He was, but he found enough energy to score two goals during our game, and with the help of his brother, Davidson, we won! After Dickenson scored he would make this high pitched holler of elation and run around with his arms raised high in celebration and a huge smile on his face. I loved being able to celebrate with him. On our way back home he told me the first goal he scored was for me. It was an awesome header and that was so sweet. Later on the ride he told me my boys can call him brother Dickenson, and that he loves me like a mother. My heart melted instantly. He had told me earlier that day that his parents both died in the earthquake, so for him to say he loves me like mother hit me hard. I will get to see him again this week, but I wish I could spend more time with this amazing boy. He is already sad about me leaving on Monday, and asks when I will be back. That is the hardest question to answer, because I know I will be back, but I don't know when.
Today we are taking the Grace Village kids to te ocean! It will be a brand knew experience for everyone on our team and I'm excited!
Ke Bondje Beni'ou
(May God Bless You)
Alicia
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Connecting
Today was our first full day of serving. I really enjoyed my time at the Home for Sick and Dying Babies. I was able to connect with Laudia, a girl Travis and I connected with a few weeks ago. She was as energetic as ever! She is one who does not like to share your time with anyone else, which one of our teammates came to find out. Towards the end of our time, she was really upset because someone had put her back in her crib, so I picked her up. I began singing to her and, before long, she was asleep in my arms. The tricky part is always transitioning the child back to their crib, but I had a successful transition with Laudia and she was fast asleep when we left. It was extremely comforting to leave knowing she was sleeping peacefully.
Another little one I spent a lot of time with was more difficult. This little girl was probably no more than four or five months old and was so, so skinny. She had an extremely enlarged head and couldn't really engage in eye contact because of it. I leaned into her crib and got as close as I could to her and talked with her, rubbed her arms and legs and sang songs to her. By the end of our time, she was grasping my finger and humming along with me with a sing song voice. It was a difficult experience, but I am so glad I burst through those feelings of being uncomfortable and not knowing what to do and just loved on that little one with all I had to give!
This afternoon, we went to Gertrude's Orphanage and had a blast with the children there. We brought them out back to swing and race around in their wheelchairs for about an hour and a half. During that time, Fabrice, one of our translators and driver, was sneaking up on a little girl and surprised her. The laugh that erupted from her over and over again was priceless. She had us all laughing with her. Maxo was in his prime with Michelle competing to see who could yell the loudest and longest, and many others giggled while connecting with our team. I enjoyed spending some quality time with Christine and Maxo during the time we were there. It is so great to see their entire being light up from the inside out when interacting and connecting with one another. It fills me up to overflowing!
On the way back to the guest house Erika and I rode up front with Fabrice. We had a great time talking about our favorite foods, although he lost me when he told me he enjoyed eating goat's brain :) he said it was good for you, and I gave him a hard time. He couldn't understand why we drink goat's milk, but don't eat the meat. We also talked about him going to school for computer sciences and that he is a troubleshooter, and really good at what he does from what I understand. We also had a Creole lesson and were learning a few new phrases. He is a hoot!
All in all a great first day of serving! I am so proud of the way our girls are jumping in and serving without hesitation. It has been awesome serving alongside them and we still have most of the week ahead of us. God is at work, and I can't wait to see how He will continue to transform us.
Good Night from Haiti!
Alicia
Another little one I spent a lot of time with was more difficult. This little girl was probably no more than four or five months old and was so, so skinny. She had an extremely enlarged head and couldn't really engage in eye contact because of it. I leaned into her crib and got as close as I could to her and talked with her, rubbed her arms and legs and sang songs to her. By the end of our time, she was grasping my finger and humming along with me with a sing song voice. It was a difficult experience, but I am so glad I burst through those feelings of being uncomfortable and not knowing what to do and just loved on that little one with all I had to give!
This afternoon, we went to Gertrude's Orphanage and had a blast with the children there. We brought them out back to swing and race around in their wheelchairs for about an hour and a half. During that time, Fabrice, one of our translators and driver, was sneaking up on a little girl and surprised her. The laugh that erupted from her over and over again was priceless. She had us all laughing with her. Maxo was in his prime with Michelle competing to see who could yell the loudest and longest, and many others giggled while connecting with our team. I enjoyed spending some quality time with Christine and Maxo during the time we were there. It is so great to see their entire being light up from the inside out when interacting and connecting with one another. It fills me up to overflowing!
On the way back to the guest house Erika and I rode up front with Fabrice. We had a great time talking about our favorite foods, although he lost me when he told me he enjoyed eating goat's brain :) he said it was good for you, and I gave him a hard time. He couldn't understand why we drink goat's milk, but don't eat the meat. We also talked about him going to school for computer sciences and that he is a troubleshooter, and really good at what he does from what I understand. We also had a Creole lesson and were learning a few new phrases. He is a hoot!
All in all a great first day of serving! I am so proud of the way our girls are jumping in and serving without hesitation. It has been awesome serving alongside them and we still have most of the week ahead of us. God is at work, and I can't wait to see how He will continue to transform us.
Good Night from Haiti!
Alicia
Travel Day
It never gets any easier getting out the door at 3:00am to get to the airport for a trip to Haiti. Thankfully, adrenaline and excitement take over as I can hardly wait to travel to one of my favorite places on earth! This morning we all got to the airport on time and we were lucky to have the opportunity to travel with Jean back to Haiti. He was here for the Leadership Summit at our church this past week and Michelle and I took the time to hear what he thought about the Summit since we were there as well.
Once we arrived in Haiti it was great being welcomed by Nic, Jessica and Emily. We loaded up, got to the guest house to settle in and enjoyed a taco salad meal for dinner. It was so great seeing Wilson, Pouchon and FanFan tonight as well as the American missionary, Elisa, at the guesthouse. Our team was exhausted and we were all in bed by 9:00. That means 10 hours of sleep for this gal last night!
We're all rested and are looking forward to our first day serving. We start with the Home for Sick and Dying and then end the day with Gertrude's Orphanage for special needs children. Looking forward to serving alongside this team and seeing how God works in us and through us throughout the week.
Blessings!
Alicia
Once we arrived in Haiti it was great being welcomed by Nic, Jessica and Emily. We loaded up, got to the guest house to settle in and enjoyed a taco salad meal for dinner. It was so great seeing Wilson, Pouchon and FanFan tonight as well as the American missionary, Elisa, at the guesthouse. Our team was exhausted and we were all in bed by 9:00. That means 10 hours of sleep for this gal last night!
We're all rested and are looking forward to our first day serving. We start with the Home for Sick and Dying and then end the day with Gertrude's Orphanage for special needs children. Looking forward to serving alongside this team and seeing how God works in us and through us throughout the week.
Blessings!
Alicia
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Quick Prep for Trip #2
As I sit in my living room, preparing for another trip to Haiti, I realized I needed to finish up my recap of my trip a few weeks ago. I cannot tell you how amazing our team was throughout the entire week. God showed up in awesome ways and was shared with many Haitians in the way we loved them, laughed with them, cried with them, prayed with them and shared many smiles with them. I gained 11 new family members on this trip and will forever remember the week we shared.
One of those memories is from our day up at Grace Village. We shared a faith lesson from James 1:2-4 which says, "Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when you faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything." Our team split in two groups and did a tie-dying activity outside and inside we did some more with the faith lesson. We had the children draw a picture or write a story about a time when they faced difficulties and God brought them through it. What happened next was amazing. You could've heard a pin drop as the children buried their noses in their work and diligently told their stories. After they finished their story, they brought it to Pastor Wesley who then translated it to the five of us in front of the child. They were so proud to share their stories.
We heard things like:
When my Mom and Dad died I didn't have food to eat, and now God has given me Grace Village where I get to eat three meals a day.
I didn't have money to go to school, but because of Healing Haiti and Grace Village I now get to go to school for free.
This special time with the children was definitely a highlight of my trip and I can't wait to see them in just a few days. It is a bit surreal that I am going back to Haiti just two short weeks after this trip, but I am so thankful for the opportunity. I get to share this experience with two of my very close friends, four of my athletes from Northwestern plus a few more amazing people as well. What a blessing this week will be full of serving the people in Haiti and growing closer to God and to one another.
Ke Bondje Beni'ou,
(May God Bless You)
Alicia
One of those memories is from our day up at Grace Village. We shared a faith lesson from James 1:2-4 which says, "Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when you faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything." Our team split in two groups and did a tie-dying activity outside and inside we did some more with the faith lesson. We had the children draw a picture or write a story about a time when they faced difficulties and God brought them through it. What happened next was amazing. You could've heard a pin drop as the children buried their noses in their work and diligently told their stories. After they finished their story, they brought it to Pastor Wesley who then translated it to the five of us in front of the child. They were so proud to share their stories.
We heard things like:
When my Mom and Dad died I didn't have food to eat, and now God has given me Grace Village where I get to eat three meals a day.
I didn't have money to go to school, but because of Healing Haiti and Grace Village I now get to go to school for free.
This special time with the children was definitely a highlight of my trip and I can't wait to see them in just a few days. It is a bit surreal that I am going back to Haiti just two short weeks after this trip, but I am so thankful for the opportunity. I get to share this experience with two of my very close friends, four of my athletes from Northwestern plus a few more amazing people as well. What a blessing this week will be full of serving the people in Haiti and growing closer to God and to one another.
Ke Bondje Beni'ou,
(May God Bless You)
Alicia
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